Regularly updated blog charting the most important albums of the last 50 years

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Well, Christmas is coming, which means I am going away from the UK for a while, which means that this here blog is in hiatus. I'll be back on the 14th of January and you'll get your albums! Maybe you'd rather come back on the 15th because it's the Carpenters on the 14th...

Same hiatus goes for the 1001flicks blog. 1001Books blog will be updated, however, when Vanda finishes reading her book.

1. Roadhouse Blues2. Waiting For The Sun3. You Make Me Real4. Peace Frog5. Blue Sunday6. Ship Of Fools7. Land Ho8. Spy9. Queen Of The Highway10. Indian Summer11. Maggie McGill

Review

The Doors come back to form after a couple of mediocre albums which weren't on this list. Ok, this is not as amazing as their first album but it is still pretty good stuff, there are no extended intrumentals or even long tracks here; these are all very much around the 3, 4 minute mark and that is actually a pity.

Anyway, there are some truly great tracks here, Morrison's lyrics are too pretentious for their own good and at times just plain incomprehensible. Even so, he manages to make very good music indeed. This album mixes Rock, Blues and Psychadelia like little else before, and often in the same track. This uncategorisable quality is part of their allure, especially because it is so symbiotic... Waiting For The Sun had a psychadelic chorus, a blues guitar and a heavy guitar riff for example, often playing together.

The Doors were, unfortunately a very uneven band, but when they did get it right, they got it really right. This is one of those cases and a very admirable one at that. So buy it from Amazon UK or US.

The cover photo was taken in LA. They did not have permission to take the photograph. The band asked the owners if they could photograph the hotel, and they declined, so the band went inside when nobody was looking, and took the photo.

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Black Sabbath!!! ROCK BITCHES! I am quite sorry this is not gonna be as thorough a review as often; problem is, it's Friday night you see, and our downstairs neighbours asked us to go out, and we did, so countless numbers of beers afterwards here I am TADA!

You put this album on and you know you've hit cliché heaven: rain, thunder and church bells before this mean Goth guiar comes on like a Bat Out Of Hell. And you just know Heavy Metal as we know it started, the imagery, the sounds the lyrics its all there.

Well, you either gotta love it or hate it. This is not a great album musically but the influence of it cannot be overemphasised, countless bands have used this as a template so there. And it rocks my socks, still it sounds a bit half-baked, they solve all with Paranoid though. Still, how can you beat Track 1, Black Sabbath on Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath? Buy it at Amazon UK or US.

Track Highlights

1. N. I. B.2. Black Sabbath3. Warning4. Behind The Wall Of Sleep

Final Grade

7/10

Trivia

Black Sabbath, By Black Sabbath On Black Sabbath:

From Wikipedia:

* The original American and Canadian releases of the album had "Wicked World" in place of "Evil Woman" due to conflicts over publishing rights, while the 1996 remaster of the album featured both. The NEMS version was the same as the European version, but placed "The Wizard" as the last track of the album. Both "Evil Woman" and "Wicked World" are found in the Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978) box set version of the CD.

* The intro to "Behind the Wall of Sleep" is called "Wasp", the intro to "N.I.B." is called "Bassically" and the ending (incorrectly labeled as the intro) of "Sleeping Village" is called "A Bit of Finger".

* "Behind the Wall of Sleep" is a reference to the H.P. Lovecraft story Beyond the Wall of Sleep.

* "N.I.B." does not stand for "Nativity in Black". Drummer Bill Ward had a beard that singer Ozzy Osbourne said looked like the nib of a fountain pen. The band named the song after the nib and added initials so the name would be more mysterious.

* The short intro "A Bit Of Finger" to the song "Sleeping Village" was originally called ЛЄНИН (Lenin) and was about the world's first socialist state (The Soviet Union). It was also considably longer (fleshing out to a supposed 3 minutes). The original lyrics that speak of Lenin's revolution were removed from the final draft (at the Warner executives request), leaving the three remaining verses.

Friday, December 15, 2006

178. Spirit - Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus (1970)

Track Listing

1. Prelude/Nothin' To Hide2. Nature's Way3. Animal Zoo4. Love Has Found A Way5. Why Can't I Be Free6. Mr Skin7. Space Child8. When I Touch You9. Street Worm10. Life Has Just Begun11. Morning Will Come12. Soldier

Review

I really like this album, it is stange yet good. It is also slightly ahead of it's time, like 4 or 5 years, it sounds more like Glam Rock than most things we have heard before, something out of Bowie, T-Rex or Roxy Music more than psychadelia. Actually it is a kind of transition album, some songs wouldn't be out of place in Velvet Goldmine for example.

Spirit, which I didn't know before are a very innovative band, there a lot of fiddling about with effects which actually works pretty well. Some songs are unremarkable, like Space Child, but others are really great.

My girfriend is left cold by it however... what can you do? Personally despite some of it's weirdness I think it is a very instantly likable album and a little different from the previous stuff we've been listening to. So I strongly reccommend you to hear it and let me know what you think. I like comments. Buy it from Amazon UK or US.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

I am writing this review four hours earlier than I usually do, and that is simply because I can't listen to this album anymore. I am probably too dumb to appreciate it, I admit it, I am stupid and uncultured, but make it stop, please! But then I think... they didn't even bother with the apostrophe in the title, so am I the stupid one?

Okay, it isn't THAT bad, my ears aren't really bleeding, but I'd take Trout Mask Replica any day over this. It sounds pretentious, incredibly so. And even tough I recognise the originality of using electronic stuff on a Jazz album it is not enough to make me like this. Zappa did it MUCH better in Hot Rats so fuck Davis.

Some times there is some respite when the notes seem to come together. And this is sad because I really like Miles before this but this is just painful. I was just on the Amazon site and it has 5 stars, everyone loves it, then again its one of those albums that if you buy it it's because you like it already, if you are an avant-garde Jazz poseur you are never going to admit that it just makes you wanna vomit anyway so 5 stars it is. It does grow on you after a while, just like Chinese water torture grows on you.

What a pile of wank. Stream it from Napster or buy it from Amazon UK or US.Track Highlights

Bitches Brew was a turning point in modern jazz. Davis had already spearheaded two major jazz movements – cool and modal jazz – and was about to initiate another major change (the album's cover also sports the phrase "Directions In Music By Miles Davis" above the title.)

It is perhaps difficult for today's audience to realize how astonishing it was in 1970 to have a major label – Columbia Records – release a major album by an important jazz artist with the term "bitches" in its title. The use of the word on the album cover may be a factor in certain fans' and critics' dismissive or even hostile responses to the record.

The Mati Klarwein painting featured on the cover – though striking and memorable – was perhaps an artifact of the "psychedelic" era, and may demonstrate Davis's desire to reach a different audience; for example, Klarwein's work is also prominently featured on the cover art of Santana's 1970 Abraxas, released by the same label.

The "Who's Who" level of musicianship among the participants involved in the Bitches Brew recording is indicative of the excellence demanded and the collaborative organizational abilities of Miles Davis. Some critics at the time characterized this music as simply obtuse and "outside", which recalls Duke Ellington's description of Davis as "the Picasso of jazz."

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

176. Derek And The Dominos - Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)

Track Listing

1. I Looked Away2. Bell Bottom Blues 3. Keep on Growing 4. Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out5. I Am Yours Listen6. Anyday 7. Key to the Highway 8. Tell the Truth 9. Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad? 10. Have You Ever Loved a Woman 11. Little Wing 12. It's Too Late 13. Layla 14. Thorn Tree in the Garden

Review

Eric Clapton, here's a guy who has Stevie Wonder syndrome, going from really, really good to utter shite. Fortunately this album is still in his good phase, and it is a lovely album. It has got some truly painful songs about unrequited love and that is always a good thing.

This is a really long album, it's a double album which fortunately does not feel streched, none of the tracks is filler, they are all individually crafted tracks. Of course some of the tracks are better than others, but it is a generally good album. Bell Bottom Blues and Layla really do stand out, but the rest of the album is nothing to sniff at.

Eric Clapton is a brilliant guitar player and we've seen that here with John Mayall and Cream and in this album his charm as a solo artist shines bright. Derek and The Dominos is basically a ficticious band and in the end it is very much Clapton's effort which shines through, he has his session players as well, which are all excellent, including one of the Allman's, which isn't necessarily a good thing, but it does work here.

Unfortunately not all of the album shines as bright as it might, but it is always entertaining listening is nothing else. So you can stream it from Napster or buy it from Amazon UK or US.Track Highlights

1. Layla2. Bell Bottom Blues3. Little Wing4. Tell The Truth

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

Here's the MTV Unplugged version of Layla:

From Wikipedia:

After a tour with Joe Cocker, some more of the personnel from Delaney and Bonnie joined up with Clapton; he attempted to avoid the limelight in a group dubbed Derek and the Dominos, and booked a British tour of small clubs. The group's name reportedly resulted from a gaffe made by the announcer at their first concert, who mispronounced the band's provisional name – "Eric & The Dynamos" – as "Derek & The Dominos".

Monday, December 11, 2006

175. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory (1970)

Track Listing

1. Ramble Tamble2. Before You Accuse Me3. Travelin' Band4. Ooby Dooby5. Lookin' Out My Back Door6. Run Through the Jungle 7. Up Around the Bend 8. My Baby Left Me 9. Who'll Stop the Rain 10. I Heard It Through the Grapevine 11. Long as I Can See the Light

Review

Finally! The 70's are here!

This is the best of CCR's albums in my opinion, they sound looser than in their previous efforts and, in fact, although there's no huge hit single like Proud Mary or Bad Moon Rising in this one, it is filled with memorable tracks. Ramble Tamble, Travelin' Band, Lookin' Out My Back Door, Run Through the Jungle, Up Around The Bend, Who'll Stop The Rain and the 11 minute version of I Heard It Through The Grapevine, as as catchy as anything that CCR ever did.

In this album CCR keep to their roots but there is a clear branching out, while Travelin' Band is a Little Richard rocker, Ramble Tamble goes to the limiar of prog, Lookin' Out My Back Door is country with Buck Owens refrences, Run Through The Jungle has this foreboding Vietnam mood and Grapevine is a tribute to R&B. They are great in all of these tracks however, and there really is no skippable track in this album. CCR have really excelled in this.

The lyrics are great, the playing is great, John Fogerty has his own voice and the music is just extremely catchy in a good way. You don't get annoyed by it, much the contrary. So you need to buy it, do so at Amazon UK or US.

Track Highlights

1. Lookin' Out My Back Door2. Who'll Stop The Rain3. Up Around The Bend4. Ramble Tamble

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

Lookin' Out My Back Door:

From Wikipedia:

The peak of a prolific streak, Cosmo's Factory was Creedence's fifth album in less than two years. It was a major commercial success, reaching #1 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, and spawning no less than six top 5 singles. More amazingly, it also reached #11 on what was then the Billboard Soul Albums chart, a crossover feat nearly unheard of for a white pop/rock band. In 2003, the album was ranked number 265 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

The name of the album comes from the warehouse in Berkeley where the band rehearsed. Bandleader John Fogerty was so insistent on practicing (nearly every day) that drummer Doug "Cosmo" Clifford began referring to the place as "the factory".

1. Peaches En Regalia2. Willie The Pimp3. Son Of Mr Green Genes4. Little Umbrellas5. Gumbo Variations6. It Must Be A Camel

Review

This is the last album in the 60's! The long, long year of 1969 comes to an end with Frank Zappa's Hot Rats. In a extreme move Zappa goes from the freakiness of the Mothers Of Invention to Prog Jazz here. And what a great thing he has done. This is definitely my favourite Zappa album of all time and a great introduction to Zappa in general.

When you think Prog Jazz, accessible isn't the first word that comes to your mind I would imagine, but this is the most accessible of Zappa albums until now. Even though it is mostly instrumental, except for the great Beefheart vocal on Willie The Pimp this is a very accessible album indeed, even if it sometimes ventures into the world of Free Jazz, it is so expertly done that it never feels pretentious or that dissonant.

Zappa creates a perfect mix of Jazz, Prog and psychadelic Rock in this album, and it really, really works. As one of the first albums to use 16-track recording it sounds very lush and then you have the technical playing side of the thing. It is just brilliant, the seven minute long guitar solo on Willie The Pimp never sounds streched, and the gamut of moods that Zappa goes through in Peaches En Regalia is truly impressive.

A Zappa essential, so you need to buy it (please) from Amazon UK or US.

Despite Zappa's choice of artwork, he did not use drugs and actually disdained the psychedelic and tie-dyed, jam-band mentality of the era. The colorful, psychedelic aura of the late sixties is apparent in the graphic design and photography of Hot Rats. The one-disc vinyl album was a foldout package emphasizing the photography and also the elaborate and colorful artwork of Cal Schenkel at a time foldouts were usually reserved for double-disc albums. The cover photo, actually a sephia dubbed silkscreen, reflects Zappa's taste for a visually striking expression, combined with the absurdly humorous. The woman pictured on the cover is Christine Frka, of the GTOs.

Well, here's something you don't hear everyday. In fact I don't think I ever hear anything quite like it, although I ahve heard things with elements from it, I don't know if I am making much sense. Alexander Spence sounds at times like Tom Waits other times like a Johnny Cash type and other times like some weird falsetto trippy stuff.

This is most definitely an album of its time, but also unlike anything in its time. You can certainly recognise that this was done in the late 60's, the sounds are there, but there is nothing exactly like it. This is not to say that it is weird as in Mother of Invention weird, in fact it is a quite pleasant album to listen to if you want to have it as background. But it doe have big depths, not only in the music but in the lyrics, and you can't escape the feeling that the person who made this album was seriously derranged.

Spence was insane, but it isn't the "look at me I am Zappa!" craziness, but more a smouldering waiting to pop thing and a kind of delirium just under the surface of the album, what makes it fascinating is that this is not overwhelming the music, its more a felling that you get from his voice and lyrics than "look this so is sooo CRAZY!".

A good album, not perfect, but very interesting. Buy it from Amazon UK or US.

Suffering from schizophrenia, he was committed to New York's Bellevue Hospital after an attempt to murder Grape members Don Stevenson and Jerry Miller with a fire axe during the sessions for the band's second studio album. Upon his release, he recorded his only solo album, the now-classic psychedelic/folk album Oar (1969, Columbia Records). However, mental illness and alcoholism prevented him from sustaining a career in the music industry, and he lived much of his later life as a homeless person in Santa Cruz. When it finally seemed that he might have been overcoming those afflictions, lung cancer claimed him.

Saturday, December 09, 2006

172. The Stooges - The Stooges (1969)

Track Listing

1. 19692. I Wanna Be Your Dog3. We Will Fall4. No Fun5. Real Cool Time6. Ann 7. Not Right 8. Little Doll

Review

Here's punk! Well, proto-punk, but you know what I mean, together with MC5 this was the closest that you could get to punk in 1969. This album is actually closer to what would be punk in the late 70's, particularly due to it's "disaffected youth" lyrics. It is also not strange that his would come from Detroit, the same place that saw the birth of the MC5.

This is a great album, based on quite simple songs and some raw power, it works really well. John Cale was producing this and he might not have understood how loud The Stooges wanted to be, so it is a bit toned down, but the seeds are there for the future of Punk.

This album is populated by very catchy tunes and one big mood track in We Will Fall, which is really not that out of place here. It's dark and depressing like the rest of the album and although not heavy it is quite beautiful, and you can very muich see the hand of Velvet Underground here. The rest of the album is equally as memorable, if much louder, with the spotlight firmly on I Wanna Be Your Dog and 1969.

This is one of those albums you need, so stream it from Napster or Amazon UK or US.

Track Highlights

1. I Wanna Be Your Dog2. 19693. We Will Fall4. No Fun

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

I Wanna Be Your Dog with extra Kitty Goodness (also the only album version I could find):

From Wikipedia:

For their first album, The Stooges had intended to record five songs: "I Wanna Be Your Dog", "No Fun", "1969", "Ann", and "We Will Fall". The five songs were staples of - and essentially the basis of - The Stooges' live set at the time. A typical Stooges song of the period would involve two minutes of composed song followed by several minutes of improvisation. Presuming that the five songs as normally performed would cover requirements for the album, the Stooges were told by Elektra that they needed more material. According to Iggy Pop, "We handed (the five-song version of the album) in and they refused it. They said, 'There aren't enough songs!' So we lied and said, 'That's OK, we've got lots more songs.'" (liner notes of 2005 reissue, p.9)

In reality, the Stooges were about a day ahead of themselves when Iggy made that statement to Elektra; overnight, the group wrote three more songs, "Real Cool Time", "Not Right", and "Little Doll", and played them for the first time in the studio.

An initial mix by producer John Cale that resembled fellow ex-Velvet Underground member Lou Reed's "closet mix" of their third album (ironically, Cale had quit the Velvets before that album was recorded) was rejected by Elektra. The mix as heard on the album was done by Iggy Pop and Elektra Records president Jac Holzman. Four of Cale's original mixes, and the full studio versions of "Ann" and "Not Right", appear on the bonus disc of the 2005 reissued version.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 185 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

In March 2005, Q magazine placed "I Wanna Be Your Dog" at number 13 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.

Friday, December 08, 2006

171. Scott Walker - Scott 4 (1969)

Track Listing

1. Seventh Seal2. On Your Own Again3. World's Strongest Man4. Angels Of Ashes5. Boy Child6. Hero Of The War7. Old Man's Back Again (Dedicated To The Neo Stalinist Regime)8. Duchess9. Get Behind Me10. Rhymes Of Goodbye

Review

This is the second Scott Walker album reviewed here, and they have both been a revelation. I loved Scott 2 for its self-knowing cheesiness, like a good version of Richard Cheese. With Scott 4 there are some elements of the same thing, but it feels much more like an adult album.

Scott 4 is a truly strange thing, the music sounds in parts like post-Morricone Spaghetti Western fare and at other times more like Dead Can Dance, and there is definitely more of a somber sound to this album. Another thing that must be said in its favour is the amazing and educated lyrics of the album, all of them written by Scott himself.

Scott's albums are a strange beast indeed, and I'd imagine people will either love them or hate them and I fall in the first camp. I really love this. The grandness of the arrangements contrasting with the introspection of the lyrics make it both unique and extremely strong. Scott Walker is a genius, although you probably wouldn't say it after a first listen through his albums.

We have hit quite a vein of great albums in a row on this list, and it isn't stopping here. You can stream this from Napster or buy it from Amazon UK or US.

Track Highlights

1. Boy Child2. The Seventh Seal3. The Old Man Is Back Again4. Angels of Ashes

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

Interview from the BBC's Culture Show:

From Wikipedia:

When Walker released his fourth solo LP, Scott 4, his first made up entirely of his own material, an artistic Rubicon was crossed. The ballads and Brel were gone and the Walker sound pared down. References to topics like the figure of death in a song version of Ingmar Bergman's famous film, The Seventh Seal, or to Sartre's analysis of Stalinism in The Old Man's Back Again, make this a significant work of art for those willing to listen.

Unfortunately, many did not and it failed to chart. Walker had left the pop buying public behind. Perhaps, they were confused by the lack of similarity between the Scott TV shows and the bare, demystified approach of Scott 4.

The fact that it was originally released under his birth name of Noel Scott Engel, rather than the familiar Scott Walker brand, possibly contributed to its chart failure. Some of these failings may also be laid at the door of poor management. Walker was a large and difficult artist to handle.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Fairport Convention beat even the brilliant Unhalfbricking with this album. You can hear a clear tendency to move more towards the folksy side of things, most of the tracks are old folk songs, but Fairport don't stop using electric instruments extremely effectively to make their folk music. If anything there is an even greater symbiosis between folk and rock in this album.

The songs sound ancient and modern at the same time. They sound the way folk should sound in the 1969 context, it isn't a snapshot of a time past, but the natural evolution of these songs while still staying firmly in their tradition. There is no clash between the modern and the old here, the relationship is perfect.

Fairport make another beautiful album, with one of the best folk voices of all time in the late Sandy Denny in what is one of the best electrical folk albums ever. Unfortunately Fairport in this configuration died after this album, so this is one of a kind, and only more precious for it. If you like folk you really need this. Napster provides it for streaming, and you can buy it from Amazon UK or US.Track Highlights

1. Matty Groves2. Come All Ye3. Tam Lin4. The DeserterFinal Grade

10/10

Trivia

Most of the original Line up of Fairport at the 2006 BBC Radio 2 Folk Music Awards, playing Matty Groves:

From Wikipedia:

In between recording and releasing Unhalfbricking, tragedy struck. Fairport Convention's van crashed on the M1 motorway on the way home from a gig in Birmingham. Martin Lamble - who was 19 years old - and Jeannie Franklyn, Richard Thompson's girlfriend, were killed. The rest of the band suffered injuries of varying severity.

The young musicians nearly decided to call it a day, but they didn't. Once recovered, they went back into the studio. Matthews had left the band by then and Dave Mattacks took over the vacant drum stool. The resulting LP, Liege & Lief, was launched with a sell-out concert in London's Royal Festival Hall late in 1969. Dave Swarbrick had made a big contribution to the project and he now joined the band full-time.

Soon after the release of Liege & Lief, Ashley Hutchings left Fairport to further pursue traditional music in a new band, Steeleye Span, and later in the Albion Band. Sandy Denny also left to form Fotheringay and later embarked on a solo career.

It would be voted the 'Best Folk Album Ever' by BBC Radio 2 listeners in 2002, and 'Most Influential Folk Album Of All Time' by public vote for the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2006.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

1. Bird On The Wire2. Story Of Isaac3. Bunch Of Lonesome Heroes4. Seems So Long Ago5. Nancy6. Old Revolution7. Butcher8. You Know Who I Am9. Lady Midnight10. Tonight Will Be Fine

Review

If you thought Leonard Cohen's debut was depressing, you have to listen to this one. Cohen takes it up a notch in this collection of beautiful yet extremely sad songs. Cohen is relentless in his misanthropic lyrics, it's just sad, sad, sad, disappointed with mankind, sad.

Of course Cohen is a master at doing this. He never sounds trite or whinny, his voice is serious as are his subjects and his lyrics are as close to perfection as any. Story of Isaac is a great example of the complexity and beauty of Cohen's lyrics.

This being said, I have to say that I prefered his debut to this album, his first album had a little light at the end of the tunnel, here there seems to be none. The is no Suzanne to give you some nice image of humanity. There is just Seems So Long Ago, Nancy, where the woman is a whore and depressed and maybe dead to boot. Even the only cover in the album, The Partisan is depressing as shit. But it is beautiful, and expertly done and Cohen is a God. You can stream it from Napster or buy it from Amazon UK or US.

Track Highlights

1. Lady Midnight2. Tonight Will Be Fine3. Story Of Isaac4. Seems So Long Ago, Nancy

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

Leonard Cohen Documentary Trailer:

From Wikipedia:

The first track, "Bird on the Wire", described by Cohen as a simple country song, has been covered by many people including his one-time backup singer Jennifer Warnes, by The Neville Brothers on the soundtrack for the 1990 film Bird on a Wire, by Willie Nelson on the Cohen tribute album Tower of Song and by Johnny Cash for his 1994 album American I: American Recordings. It also appeared on the earlier tribute I'm Your Fan, covered by The Lilac Time.

"Story of Isaac" is based on the Old Testament myth of Yahweh's demand that Isaac be sacrificed by his father Abraham. It ends with an admonishment to fathers to no longer sacrifice their sons. Judy Collins' 1968 recording, which predated Cohen's, features slightly different lyrics. Suzanne Vega performed the song on the Tower of Song album.

"The Partisan" is based on the poem "La complainte du partisan" by "Bernard" (Emmanuel D'Astier), a prominent figure in the French resistance during World War II.

The 5th number on this album, "Seems So Long Ago, Nancy" tells the story of Nancy Challies, a depressed young woman from Montréal, who committed suicide after being forced by her family to put her son up for adoption. However, in 1979 Cohen (perhaps disingenuously) told the filmmaker Harry Rasky that "Nancy" was only a waitress in an American juke joint with whom he had been slightly acquainted. (The interview is recounted in Rasky's book, The Song of Leonard Cohen.)

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

168. King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King (1969)

Track Listing

1. 21st Century Schizoid Man2. I Talk To The Wind3. Epitaph4. Moonchild5. In The Court Of The Crimson King

Review

Again, together with my appreciation of AOR comes my big appreciation of Prog. I just love it, even though my girlfriend cannot take the wankery involved in it. This album is, however, one of the few cases where technical masturbation is not overwhelming. It is a great album.

The album starts and finishes with a bang, in two of the rockier tracks of 1969, and the middle is composed of quite fragile and delicate music, which is quite beautiful, even though Moonchild streches itself too long in its micro-sound jazz jam thing, though even that does create a certain feeling that goes well with the song.

Unlike most other Prog albums there is very little showing off for the sake of showing off, it all seems to work to higher or lower degrees. For the time, the mix of Rock, Jazz and Classical is also quite innovative and in this case very well done. All the tracks are really long, as would be expected of a Prog album, but none of them, except the previously mentioned Moonchild is overly long; they are the right size for what they want to do.

1. In The Court Of The Crimson King2. 21st Century Schizoid Man3. Epitaph4. I Talk To The Wind

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

Recent Live video... pretty close to the album version, although only original member is Ian McDonald... but who gives a fuck?:

From Wikipedia:From the beginning, King Crimson performances featured improvisations, in which the music can, and frequently does, go anywhere. Improvisations can be imbedded in composed pieces, like Moonchild or Thrak, but most Crimson performances over the years have included at least one stand-alone improvisation, where the band simply started playing and took the music wherever it went, sometimes including passages of improvised silence (as Bill Bruford's contribution to the improvised Trio). The earliest example of an unambiguously improvising King Crimson on record is the spacious, oft-criticised (as self indulgent) extended middle-section of Moonchild from the first album, in which the composed parts act as bookends to the improv.

Unlike most rock improvisation or jamming, these sessions are rarely in any sense blues-based. They vary so much in sound that King Crimson has been able to release several albums consisting entirely of improvised music. Occasionally, particular improvised pieces will be performed in different forms at different shows, becoming more and more refined and eventually appearing on official studio releases (the most recent example being Power to Believe III, which originally existed as the stage improv Deception of the Thrush, a piece played onstage for more than six years before appearing on record).

This might just be, next to The Village Green Preservation Society, the best Kinks album. And that is saying a great deal. Before starting this list I was mostly indiferent on the subject of The Kinks, I have, however, come to love them dearly as time goes by.

This is a concept album, with kind of the same idea of Tommy and S F Sorrow as following the life of a man, but there are strong differences that make this the best of the bunch by very, very far.

The first difference that pops out is the fact that none of the songs here are filler, or made just to progress the storyline. All the tracks are good, in fact are great and the concept is serving the album instead of vice-versa, for once. Then The Kinks chose a subject which isn't absurd or stupid, the life in post-war England and dealt with it with humour, social consciousness and beauty, never forgetting to be toungue-in-cheek. Tommy looks puerile and stupid next to this, Arthur is greatly written and greatly composed.

So, in my opinion this is the first truly succesful Biographical concept album ever done. And the music is just brilliant, it will put a smile on your face one moment, just to pull the rug under your feet and make you fall on your ass. Good stuff. Buy it at Amazon UK or US.

Track Highlights

1. Victoria2. Shangri-La3. Australia4. Mr. Churchill Says

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

Victoria:

From Wikipedia:

The story is based on Davies' brother-in-law Arthur, who emigrated from England to Australia with his wife Rose (Ray and Dave's older sister) in the early 1960s. The lead character Arthur is a carpet layer, and he and his family's plight in the opportunity-poor setting of post-war England is depicted. The songs describe the England that Arthur once knew, the promise of life in Australia for one of his sons, the emptiness of his superficially comfortable life in his home "Shangri-La", the resolve of the British people in World War II and the death of his brother in World War I, among other things. Many of the songs (such as "Victoria" and "Brainwashed") represent a strong return to Rock and Roll by the Kinks, which they had largely forgone during the 1966-1968 period.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

166. The Grateful Dead - Live/Dead (1969)

Track Listing

1. Dark Star2. Saint Stephen3. Eleven4. Turn On Your Love Light5. Death Don't Have No Mercy6. Feedback 7. And We Bid You Goodnight

Review

There are some things in common between this album and Chigaco's Chicago Transit Authority. And those things are the fact that when you first listen to it you think... what a bunch of wankers. Yes, they can play, but why must they? Then you hear a 7 minute long Feedback track, much like Free Form Guitar by Chicago with a lot more talent and you start to understand the differences.

This is a very self-indulging album, but it has some quality to it, and after 5 or 6 listen throughs you actually start not minding it much. It's not one of the best psychadelic albums, but it is also not one of the worse, it must be the one with the longest tracks however.

The album consists of 7 tracks which last as long as the 30 in the White Album. This is a bunch of hippies tripping out and just playing, and this can be great at the best of times or just bad in other times. Due to the lenght of the tracks this can actually happen in the same track, they all have their good and bad moments.

If you are into jam bands, like Phish and other such wankathons check it out. If not, stay well away. You can stream it from Napster or buy it from Amazon UK or US.Track Highlights

1. Dark Star2. Turn On Your Love Light3. St. Stephen4. The Eleven

Final Grade

7/10

Trivia

Dark Star, part one and two:

How boring was that? And a fucking 80's version? Awful.

From Wikipedia:

Unlike in later years, in early 1969 the contents of the Dead's set lists varied little. They improvised the medley of "Dark Star"/"St. Stephen"/"The Eleven" several times a week, which enabled them to explore widely within the songs' simple frameworks. The album was a financial success for the band in the eyes of their label, Warner Bros. Constanten had commented that "[Warner Bros.] had pointed out that they had sunk $100,000-plus into Aoxomoxoa ... so someone had the idea that if we sent them a double live album, three discs for the price of one wouldn't be such a bad deal."

Saturday, December 02, 2006

165. Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul (1969)

Track Listing

1. Walk On By2. Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic3. One Woman4. By The Time I Get To Phoenix

Review

You put this album on and you have to do a double check that you haven't put Portishead on. That's how good and ahead of its time it is. Or at least the first track. The first track is probably the most perfect version of Walk On By ever done. Oozing with sexyness and sensuality and perfectly crafted.

The album is composed of 4 quite extended tracks but they don't feel overextended, it's great. The only exception is By The Time I Get To Phoenix, where the 8 minute intro could have been shortened, but it does pay off.

It is a great album, and Isaac Hayes, even though a Scientologist, is amazing. Good album to make out to as well. If you've never listened to this, you really need to. Keep in mind that it is 1969 and it's just like nothing else at the time.

1. Walk On By2. Unpronouncableofhawofhwapofhewtetg3. By The Time I Get To Phoenix4. The Other One

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

Great, remember the original is 12 minutes long:

From Wikipedia:

The album was notable for its use of innovative production techniques, and has deeply influenced a great deal of subsequent soul, hip hop and Motown music. Both "Walk On By" and "Hyperbolicsyllabicseequedalymystic" have been sampled extensively, the former showing up on tracks by the likes of 3rd Bass and Wu-Tang Clan, while the latter song was sampled by Public Enemy for "Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos".